Write Your Novel in 2026: Week 2: Characters That Hold Up Under Pressure
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Everybody has ideas for characters. Fewer writers create characters strong enough to carry an entire book.
Weak characters are not boring because they lack quirks or backstory. They are boring because nothing meaningful is at stake for them. When pressure shows up, they fold, stall, or repeat the same choices.
Week 2 is about building characters who can survive conflict, escalation, and change without falling apart or becoming unrecognizable.
If your book keeps stalling, this is usually why.
Why Characters Matter More Than Plot
Plot moves because characters make decisions.
If your character has no clear want, no internal conflict, and no personal cost for failure, the story will drift. You will feel it as boredom, avoidance, or the urge to rewrite earlier chapters instead of moving forward.
Strong characters do three things consistently:
- They want something specific
- They are blocked internally and externally
- Their choices make the story worse before it gets better
That is not accidental. It is built.
Step 1: Define What Your Character Wants Right Now
Forget their life goal. Forget their childhood trauma for a moment.
Ask this instead:
What does your main character want at the start of this book?
Not eventually. Not symbolically. Right now.
Examples:
- Safety
- Control
- Belonging
- Escape
- Recognition
- Power
- Truth
Your character’s want should be clear enough that you can see how every scene either moves them closer to it or pushes it further away.
Your job this week:
Write one sentence that defines what your main character wants at the beginning of the story.
Step 2: Identify the Internal Obstacle
External problems create action. Internal problems create meaning.
The internal obstacle is the belief, fear, or wound that keeps your character from getting what they want even when opportunities appear.
Examples:
- Fear of abandonment
- Need for control
- Belief they are unworthy
- Distrust of others
- Loyalty to the wrong people
This internal obstacle should directly interfere with their goal.
If the obstacle disappears, the story collapses. That is how you know you chose the right one.
Your job this week:
Write one sentence describing what your character believes or fears that holds them back.
Step 3: Apply Pressure
Pressure reveals character. Comfort hides it.
Ask yourself:
- What choice will force my character to act against their fear?
- What consequence will hurt if they make the wrong decision?
- What happens if they do nothing?
Pressure should increase across the book. If nothing escalates, the character never has to change.
Your job this week:
List three situations in this story that will force your character to choose between what they want and what feels safe.
Step 4: Track Change, Not Perfection
Your character does not need to become better. They need to become different.
Change might look like:
- Choosing honesty instead of survival
- Letting go of control
- Accepting loss
- Claiming power
- Setting boundaries
Not every character arc is positive. All arcs must be intentional.
Your job this week:
Write one sentence describing how your character will be different by the end of the book.
Week 2 Challenge
By next Wednesday, complete the following:
- Define your main character’s core want
- Identify their internal obstacle
- List three pressure points in the story
- Describe how the character changes by the end
Do not rewrite your draft yet. Build the character first.
What’s Coming Next Week
Week 3 focuses on conflict that escalates instead of repeating, and how to stop writing scenes that feel interchangeable.
Your Turn
Who is your main character when the story begins, and who are they becoming?
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